Male Lead, Don’t Follow Me! - Chapter 31

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“Isn’t her power truly amazing?”

“Well, it is indeed.”

“Just looking at her makes you smile, and you keep wanting to know more, right?”

“……”

Bishwaltz seemed lost in thought for a moment. After walking a few steps in silence, he let out a small chuckle.

‘What’s with that laugh?’

I had a bad feeling and quietly moved away from him, standing to the side. It was better to keep a distance at times like this. He tended to say strange things when he laughed.

His smiling face in the moonlight was fantastic, but he was no different from an unleashed hunting dog.

Untamed, a person who accomplishes what he sets out to do. He had to have what he wanted, and as a result, how disastrous was the end of the novel.

“Why, why are you laughing so strangely?”

“Laughing strangely, you say. That’s something I’ve never heard in my entire life.”

He casually uttered those embarrassing words. Are all good-looking people this shameless? Serhin was like that too, so it must be a characteristic of this place.

Well, it’s better than being ugly with a nasty personality. I tried to rationalize and forced an awkward smile.

Good for you, being handsome.

“What you said earlier.”

“I’ve said so many things thoughtlessly that I can’t remember.”

I quickly played dumb.

Whenever he tries to set the mood like this, things always seem to flow in an unfavorable direction for me.

Bishwaltz let out a short sigh as he watched me walking without closing the distance.

He strode over to me in one breath and silently looked down at me.

“What, what is it? Shall we go back now?”

Please say we should go back.

Because of you, this feels more like exercise than a stroll. Look at the cold sweat running down my back.

“You asked if just looking makes me smile and if I keep wanting to know more.”

“Y-yes, and?”

I took a step back, feeling anxiety throughout my body.

The more I retreated, the closer he came.

‘Damn, his legs are unnecessarily longer than mine!’

For every two steps I took back, he took one step forward. Yet why did the distance remain the same?

This was clearly due to my short stature.

“It seems that’s how I’ve been feeling about you lately.”

“It must be your imagination.”

I quickly replied. Hey, that was an extremely dangerous statement. You should say such things elsewhere.

“Do you dislike me that much?”

“Well, if you ask so directly, you probably think I won’t be able to answer.”

Bishwaltz lowered his head and looked at me with sorrowful eyes.

This is a trap. It’s definitely a trap! I couldn’t ignore his gaze.

Ugh. It was painful, but I didn’t want my life to go awry because of a momentary mistake.

“I don’t like you.”

“So you don’t dislike me.”

“No, it’s not that I don’t dislike you either.”

“You seem to enjoy playing word games with me.”

Bishwaltz grabbed my waist and pulled me close.

As a result, our bodies were so close that I could feel his breath.

“D-do you like flowers?!”

I hastily created something in my hand.

“No.”

“Great, take this.”

Without even properly looking at what I had created in my hand, I shoved it into his mouth and escaped from his arms. My heart was pounding like crazy, making it hard to breathe, but I had managed to escape the dangerous situation.

‘Good, now I’ll quickly go back to my room.’

I headed straight for the mansion without looking back. Fortunately, in the mansion Serna had prepared, the buildings where men and women stayed were quite far apart.

I ran quickly as if escaping and entered the mansion, panting heavily, and locked the door.

“…Kiara? What’s wrong?”

Ephelia, startled, looked at me with big eyes. It seemed she had been studying, as there were books and pens on the table.

“No, I just encountered a very scary beast.”

“Were there wild animals here?”

“Yes, it must have been a wild animal… Ephelia, what should I do?”

It seems I’ve definitely been marked by that animal.

I was prepared from the start, but isn’t this too fast?

I needed to come up with some countermeasures quickly. Otherwise, I’d be devoured without being able to do anything.

I caught a glimpse of obsession in Bishwaltz’s eyes as he looked down at me.

It was clearly directed at me. He had become too interested in me.

Damn, I never thought my death flag would be raised like this.

I screamed in regret under the blanket, mixed with a shriek.

***

“Did she just give this to me as a gift?”

Bishwaltz chuckled softly as he looked at the foxtail grass in his mouth.

She said it was a flower, but it seems she left without properly looking at it.

Though her fleeing figure was rather pitiful, he refrained from chasing her, knowing she had nowhere to escape to anyway.

She should have known better than to provoke him in the first place.

He slipped the foxtail grass into his pocket. It was surprisingly fresh and could serve as an interesting accent; he found he didn’t mind it at all.

“…What are you thinking?”

Serhin, who had been watching the two from the darkness, revealed himself. He wasn’t particularly pleased with Kiara getting close to him.

“I think I told you before.”

“Don’t worry. I’m just curious about her.”

Bishwaltz dropped the foxtail grass he had kept on the ground and walked past Serhin.

“By the way, what do you think?”

“That woman Helia? Her power is quite considerable.”

“The imperial family might even proclaim her as a saint.”

“Well, that could happen.”

Serhin was more concerned about the traces of black magic that could be felt here and there.

If it was strong enough to remain like this, one should be able to sense its presence, but he couldn’t find it anywhere.

“It seems this will take quite a while.”

“I didn’t think it would be easy, but strange things have been happening since the capital.”

“……”

Serhin kept his mouth shut at Bishwaltz’s words. He couldn’t speak about what happened in the capital because he was the one who did it.

He only lent a small helping hand to Kiara, but who knew things would get this big.

Moreover, what was happening all over the place had nothing to do with him.

‘I guess I’ll have to send out the kids.’

At this rate, things might get out of control. With the sudden appearance of Helia and all, it was quite an unsettling situation.

“Are you going straight to the imperial palace like this?”

“No, I’m thinking of staying a bit longer to observe. I was dispatched here in the first place.”

“That’s right. It would be better not to do anything rash.”

Serhin warned Bishwaltz in a low voice.

Even if they were friends, he had no intention of giving up. She was the girl he had liked from the beginning.

Moreover, she didn’t particularly like Bishwaltz either. Although she was acting, he didn’t seem to have much talent for it either.

“Since you threw this away, I guess I can take it.”

Serhin picked up the foxtail grass that had fallen to the ground. Kiara probably didn’t even realize she had created this.

He could already imagine what kind of expression she would make if he brought it to her, and he wanted to tease her right away.

Not only were her reactions cute, but the sight of her lovely pink hair swaying in the wind was quite splendid too.

Just like when she created a cherry blossom tree and made the petals flutter.

“Do as you please.”

Bishwaltz left without another word. Serhin, who had been watching this, turned his steps towards where Kiara would be.

Knock knock knock.

Kiara cautiously approached the window where she felt a presence. Serhin gestured for her to come out.

‘Why, why is he calling me again?’

Kiara shook her head desperately. She made an X with her hands to show her refusal.

“Then, shall I break this window and come in?”

Serhin smiled brightly at her as he placed his hand on the glass.

Turning pale in an instant, she hurriedly opened the window.

“Why, why are you coming here in the middle of the night!”

Kiara frowned at the bunch of foxtail grass suddenly thrust in front of her.

‘What kind of situation is this now?’

She stared blankly at the bunch of foxtail grass and then turned her head to look at Ephelia. As she tried to quietly move away from the window, Serhin caught her by the scruff of her neck.